Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said Todd Gurley's reduced role was due to the game's "flow" in the team's NFC championship victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Star running back Gurley received just four carries and totalled 10 yards on the ground in the Rams' 26-23 win en route to the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday.

McVay explained the decision to limit Gurley's touches after the victory.

"I think what personifies Todd is this is an MVP-calibre player and he just kept fighting, he kept supporting his team-mates," McVay told reporters. "He's going to have an instrumental role against whoever we play, whether it be the Patriots or the Chiefs. Today, that was just kind of the feel for the flow of the game. Not anything against Todd.

"I think [the Saints] did a nice job as a whole slowing down our run game and we kind of just had to grind some things out."

Gurley, however, made one of the game's biggest plays when he cut his team's deficit to 13-10 just before half-time on a six-yard touchdown run.

"Todd's a special player and couldn't be more impressed with the way that he handled himself," McVay said. "He ended up making a big-time play that ended up in us winning that football game today."

C.J. Anderson, Gurley's backup, tallied a game-high 16 carries and 44 rushing yards in the victory over the Saints.

Gurley finished 2018 with 1,251 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He missed the last two games of the regular season because of a knee injury.